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Pliotographic 

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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVI/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  canadien  de  microreproductions  historiques 


%^ 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


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D 


Coloured  covers/ 
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I      I    Covers  damageid/ 


Couverture  endommagie 

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Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

I      I    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


D 


D 


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sont  indiquis  ci-dessous. 


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Ce  document  est  filmi  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqud  ci-dessous. 

18X  22X 


10X 


14X 


26X 


30X 


y 


12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
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Library  of  the  Public 
Archives  of  Canada 

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Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
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first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
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or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — »>  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
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entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


L'exemp'.7ire  fiimi  fut  reproduit  grAce  A  la 
g4n4rosit6  de: 

La  bibliothdque  des  Archives 
publiques  du  Canada 

Las  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
de  la  nettet6  de  t'exemplaire  filmi,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimie  sont  filmAs  en  commandant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  emprsinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  selon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  film6s  en  commen9ant  par  la 
premlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaltra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — ►  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symboie  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
fiimis  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cliche,  il  est  film6  d  partir 
de  I'angle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n6cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mAthode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

i 


4* 


REPOKTS  AW  PROSPECTUS 


.) 


OP    THE 


GASPE  BAY  COMPANY. 


I 


l 


JOHN  A.  GRAY  &  GREEN,  PRINTERS,  16  &  18  JACOB  STREET. 


1865. 


/  o  (ff  iif 
(SO) 


■<*■ 


THE    QASVt    DISTRICT, 


X.OAV'ER    CA.NA.'DA.. 


-♦•^- 


^ 


i 


Tins  clistnct  was  surveyed  under  the  direction  of 
Sir  Wm.  E.  Logan,  Provincial  Geologist,  about  twenty 
years  ago,  and  in  Lis  earliest  repoi-ts  mention  is  made 
of   two   petroleimi   springs   in   the   neighborhood   of 
Gaspe   Bay.     The   first  of  these   springs   was   repre- 
sented as  situated  on  the  south  side  of  the  St.  John's 
river,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  above  Doughisstown ; 
the  other,  on  a  small   fork  of   Silver  Brook,  a  trib- 
utary to  tlie  south-W"3t  ami.     It  was  stated  in  both 
instances  that   the  li(piid  collects  on   the   surface  of 
the  water,  in  the  form  of  a  thick  dark  gi'een  scum, 
which  can  be  taken  up  with  a  spoon,  and  that  the 
odor  could  be  distinguished  for  one  hundred  yards 
around.     It  was  furtlier  stated,  that  in  some  ])arts  of 
the  trap  dyke  in  Gaspe  Bay  the  petroleum  druses  are 
so  numerous,  that  there  is  scarcely  a  fi'agment,  the  size 
of  a  hand  that  does  not  contain  several  of  them,  and 
the  tar-like  smell  of  the  mineral  is  perceived  in  walk- 
ing by  the  dyke,  at  the  distance  of  50  yards.     In  some 
of  the  cavities  the  liquid  is  hardened  into  a  resinous, 


pitch-like  condition.  (Repoi-t  of  Progress  for  the  year 
1844,  p.  41.  See  also  Taylor's  Statistics  on  Coal, 
pp.  512  and  513,  Philadelphia  edition  of  1855.) 

These  reports  emanating  from  one  of  the  Inchest 
geological  authorities  on  this  continent,  Avere  made 
oflicially  to  the  Canadian  government,  at  a  time  when 
petroleum  was  hardly/  Vrnmn  outside  of  the  chemist's 
laboratory.  They  must  therefore  be  accepted  as  im- 
partial  and  unquestionable  evidence ;  it  being  manifest, 
that  ihe  indications  of  petroleum,  thus  described,  were 
observed  and  recorded  on  scientific  and  not  on  spec- 
ulative grounds. 

In  1862  and  1803,  a  new  survey  of  Lower  Canada 
was  made  under  ihe  direction  of  the  same  distin- 
guished geologist,  the  reports  of  Avhicli  have  been  pub- . 
lished  l.jythe  Canadian  government.  In  his  "  Repoi-t 
of  Progress"  published  in  1863,  Sir  W.  E.  Logan  thus 
describes  tlie  limestone  and  sandstone  rocks  of  the 
Gaspe  Bay  region— the  true  petroleum-bearing  form- 
ation, (page  402  :) 

"  There  is  still  to  be  described  the  greenstone  dyke, 
connected  with  the  southern  anticlinal  at  Tar  Point. 
This  (fyke  is  of  a  dark  gray  color,  weathering  to  a 
rusty  red,  and  it  is  traversed  by  numerous  horizontal 
and  V(irtical  joints,  and  abounds  in  large  and  small 
druses,  presenting  botryoidal  surfaces  sometimes,  and 
at  others  incrusted  with  crystals  of  quartz  and  calcite. 
T/iese  cavities  are  filled  with iJetroletmi;  this,  in  some 
instances,  has  hardened  to  the  consistency  of  pitch. 
The  ijeculi^r  odor  of  this  substance,  which  has  oiven 


{■ 


^ 


tlie  name  of  Tar  Point  to  tlie  locality,  may  ])e  i)cr- 
ceived  at  a  distance  of  fifty  yards.  ^ 

"Two  petroleum  symngs  occur  along  the  line  of  tbin 
anticlinal.  One  of  these  is  on  the  south  side  of  the  . 
St.  John's  River,  al)out  half  a  mile  above  Douglass- 
town.  Here  the  oil  oozes  from  the  mud  and  shiiiirle 
of  the  beach,  and  is  seen  in  globules  rising  through 
the  water  at  high  tide.  Portions  of  the  oil  are  said  to 
have  been  observed,  under  similar  conditions,  as  far  as 
the  extremity  of  the  first  marshy  island,  a  distance  of 
three  fourths  of  a  mile  above ;  and  they  may  prol>ably 
extend  much  farther  in  the  same  direction. 

"  The  second  spring  was  ol)served  about  200  yards 
up  a  small  branch  of  the  Silver  Brook,  which  is  a 
tributary  of  the  south-west  arm,  falling  into  it  about 
six  or  seven  miles  from  Gaspe  Basin.  Th(;  orifice  of 
the  spring  ^vas  not  seen,  but  the  oil,  which  is  not  ob- 
served higher  up  on  the  brook,  here  collects  on  the 
surface  of  quiet  pools  as  a  thick  film. 

"  The  rock  adjoining  the  dyke,  and  underlying  both 
of  these  springs,  is  sandstone;  but  it-  is  not  improb- 
able, that  liere,  as  in  Western  Canada,  the  source  of  the 
oil  may  he  in  the  more  fossilifermis  rocks  beneath,  so 
that  we  may  hope  to  find  other  springs  of  it,  not  only 
along  the  line  of  t^^-enty  miles,  just  indicated,  but  still  * 
fixrther  along  this  and  otlier  undulations  in  the  same 
region,  where  borings  and  wells  may  furnish  more 
ahaudant  supplies  of  petroleum."     (P.  402.) 

Again,  on  page  521,  he  says: 

"  In  describing  these  rocks  on  page  402,  the  sprin^-s 


6 


of  petroleum  on  the  St.  John's  River  and  on  Silver 
Brook  liave  already  l>e(;n   descrihed,  as  well  as  the 
occLii-rence  of  the  oil  in  the  cavities  of  an  amygdaloid 
greenstone   dyke   at  Tar   Point.      Oth<>r   localities  of 
petroleum  have  since  l)een  noticed  in  that  vicinity,  at 
the  entrance  to  Gaspe  Basin,  and  also  near  the  north- 
east corner  of  the  Doughisstown  lagoon.      About  a 
mile  and  a  half  to  the  south-east  of  Gaspe  Basin,  and 
on  the  line  of  the  northern  anticlinal,  is  found  a  layer 
of  mineral  piteli  or  dried  l)ituraen,  about  an  inch  in 
thickness,  lying  beneath  the  surface  of  vegetable  mould, 
while  the  soil  for  some  distance  to  the  eastward  is 
saturated  with  petroleum." 
Again  he  says,  on  page  788  : 

"The  presence  of  petroleum  in  the  rocks  of  Gaspe 
has  been  mentioned  on  pages  402  and  521.  Subse- 
quent explorations  have  shown  several  additional  lo- 
calities in  the  vicinity  of  Gaspe  Bay.  The  rock  near 
the  mouth  of  York  River,  is  like  the  limestone,  im- 
pregnated with  petroleum;  and  on  the  same  river, 
about  twelve  miles  from  the  entrance  of  Gaspe  Basin, 
small  portions  of  solid  bitumen  were  found  in  the 
cavities  of  a  trap-dyke,  cutting  the  sandstone.  A  sim- 
ilar dyke  at  Tar  Point  has  already  been  descriT)ed." 

"At  the  oil-spring  at  Silver  Brook,  a  tributary  of 
the  York  River,  the  petroleum  oozes  from  a  mass  of 
sandstone  and  arenaceous  shale,  which  dips  south-east- 
wardly  at  an  angle  of  thirteen  degrees,  and  is  nearly  a 
mile  to  the  south  of  the  crown  of  the  anticlinal.  The 
oil,  which  here  collects  in  pools  alonc^  the  brook,  has 


^ 


i' 


a  greomsh  color,  an<l  an  aromatic  odoi\  wliicli  is  less 
(llsagiHH'ahlo  than  that  of  tlio  petroleuiu  of  Wcatcj'ii 
Canada." 

"  Fartlicr  (eastward,  at  about  twelve  miles  from  the 
moutli  of  the  river,  oil  was  observed  on  the  sni-faee  of 
the  water  at  the  outcrop  of  the  limestone.  Petroleum 
is  met  with  at  Adams's  oil-spring,  in  the  rear  of  lot  B 
of  York,  nearly  two  miles  east  of  south  from  the  en- 
trance of  Gaspe  Basin.  It  is  here  found  in  small 
(quantities,  floating  upon  the  surface  of  the  waiter,  and 
near  by  is  a  layer  of  thickened  petroleum,  mixed  with 
mould,  at  a  depth  of  a  foot  beneath  the  surface  of  the 
soil.  A  mile  to  the  eastward,  at  Sandy  Beach,  oil  is 
said  to  occur ;  and  again  at  Haldimandtown,  where  it 
rises  through  the  mud  on  the  shore.  These  three  lo- 
calities  are  upon  the  sandstone  and  on  the  liiie  of  the 
northern  anticlinal,  which  passes  a  little  to  the  north 
of  the  Silver  Brook  oil-spring.  Farthei'  to  the  south- 
east, on  the  line  of  the  southern  anticlinal,  and  about 
two  miles  Avest  of  Tar  Pomt,  which  takes  its  name 
from  the  petroleum  found  there,  another  oil-sprino-  is 
said  to  be  found  three  quarters  of  a  mile  south  of  Seal 
(love.  On  the  south  side  of  the  Douglasstown  lagoon, 
and  a})out  a  mile  west  of  the  village,  oil  rises  in  small 
quantities  from  the  nmd  on  the  beach.  Farther  to  the 
westward,  oil  is  said  to  occur  on  the  second  fork  of  the 
Douglasstown  River.  Traces  of  it  have  also  been  ob- 
served in  a  brook  near  St.  George's  Cove,  on  the  north- 
east side  of  Gaspe  Bay." 

On  page  883  he  soys  : 


'8  , 

"On  the  soutli  nide  of  the  York  River,  al)()ut  five 
miles  above  tlie  north-west  corner  of  York  townnliip,  a 
mass  helonging  to  the  Gaspu  liiiu'stoneH  cotnes  to  the 
surface,  ])reBentin<:^  a  sharp  anticlinal  form.  Tlie  r<K'k 
is  stronji^ly  bituminous,  giving  indications  ()f])ctroleum. 
In  the  Y(»rk  Kiver,  just  above  Keg  Brook,  tlie  lime- 
stone at  the  summit  of  tlie  formation  is  divided  into 
thick  beds,  of  whi<']i  some  are  dark  gray,  weathering 
reddish-brown,  and  containing  petroleum," 

The  success  which  has  attendtsd  oil  operations  else- 
where, some  months  ago  induced  parties  in  C'anada,  to 
perfect  arrangements  for  the  selection  of  choice  loca- 
tions in  Gaspe;  and  with  this  view  tln^  services  of 
Professor  Bell,  of  Queen's  College,  Kingston,  C.  W., 
and  Mr.  Chas.  Robb,  Mining  Engineer,  Montreal,  were 
brought  into  re(|uisition.  The  former  gentleman  was 
enf>-aged  in  the  siu'vey  of  the  region,  as  a  member  of 
Sir  "W.  E.  Logan's  geological  staff;  aiid  Mr.  Robb  had 
acquired  experience  in  respect  of  oil  in  the  productive 
districts  of  Pennsylvania  and  in  the  well-known  En- 
niskillen  region,  Canada  West.  The  re})oi'ts  of  these 
gentlemen  in  regard  to  the  Gaspe  district  generally 
and  the  property  now  offered,  are  as  follows. 


1^ 


I 


it 


REPORT 

OjN    THE    OIL   EEGIOX    OF  .GASPfc. 


Kingston,  C.  W.,  Mftrcli  2l8t,  1865. 

Gentlemen  :  Your  letter  reciueBtinj,'  information  on  ♦^e  oil 
region  of  Gasv)o  was  received  to-day.  Having  ppent  three  Buni- 
mL  in  this  part  of  the  country,  in  making  geological  surveys 
and  explorations,  under  the  direction  of  our  provincial  geologist, 
Sir  W.  E.  Logan,  1  hope  to  he  able  to  furnish  yoii  with  any 
particulars  you  may  wish  in  regard  to  it ;  hut  as  you  did  not 
speciiy  the  kind  of  information  you  desired,  you  nmst  be  sat- 
isfied witli  a  general  description  of  the  tract  in  question,  which 
(from  want  of  tinu;)  1  must  nuike  as  brief  as  possible. 
'  In  the  first  place,  it  will  be  necessary  for  me  to  explain 
to  you  the  geological  structure  of  the  territory  and  the  rela- 
tions of  its  rocks  to  those  of  the  rest  of  the  Gaspd  peninsula 
and  to  oil-bearing  strata  generally. 

The  Gaspe  peninsula,  with  the  exception  of  a  narrow  belt 
along  its  northern  coast,  is  occupied  by  the  Upper  Silurian, 
Devonian,  and  Carboniferous  systems.  These  rocks  are  ar- 
ranged in  a  series  of  great  "  anticlinals,"'  or  undulations  run- 
ning in  an  east  and  westerly  direction  parallel  with  the  gen- 
eral contour  of  the  peninsida. 


! 


10 


ill! 


The  oil-bearing  limeBtonea  form  tlie  lowest  of  the  divisions 
which  are  of  importance  in  connection  with  the  occnrrence  of 
petroleum.     It  is  ovei-laid  hy  saiidstcnes,  shales,  and  conglom- 
erates of  Devonian  and  Carboniferons  age.     The  total  thick- 
ness of  these   overlying   rocks  is  several  thousand  ieet,  but 
their  thickness  in  ditierent  places  is  very  variable,  from  the 
fact  that  the  whole  series,  after  it  had  assumed  its  present 
undulated  arrangement,  was  extensively  denuded,  and  the 
sandstones,  etc.,  were,  in   some  places,  altogether  removed 
from  the  tops  of  the  undulations,  thus  layiiLg  bare  the  under- 
lying limestones;  but  in  other  places  only  removing  a  part  of 
tlie  upper  rocks,  whilst  in  the  "  froughs"  or  spans  between 
these  airticlinals,  the  sandstones,  etc.,  are  ofteri  of  great  thick- 

Ti.eS8. 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  geological  undulations  cor- 
respond with  the  surface  or  geogra;p]dcal  inequalities.  On 
tlie  contrary,  the  centres  of  the  geological  elevations  most 
ire(piently  coiTespond  witli  the  lowest  ])ortions  of  the  surface 
of  the  country,  the  higher  grounds  on  either  side  being  occu- 
pied by  the  overlying  rocks  which  dip  away  from  these  cen- 
tres, the  reason  of  v/liich^is  well  known  to  geologists.  I  need 
not  explain. 

It  is  found  by  experience  tliat  petroleum  generally  occurs 
along  the  summits  of  the^e  geologiecC  elevations  or  "  anticli- 
nals."  This  iri  what  we  should  naturally  expect,  owing  to 
the  lightness  of  petrole^im  as  compared  with  water,  both  of 
which  occupy  the  crevices  and  open  spaces  among  tlie  I)eds  of 
rock— the  water  the  lower  and  the  oil  the  ui.per  portions, 
with  gas  sometimes  above  both.  Hence  it  is  that  when  these 
pent-up  materials  are  tapped  by  an  artificial  opening  from 
above,  the  gas  escapes  first,  then  the  oil,  aiid  lastly  water 
mixed  with  it;  Since  anticlinal  lines  are  ofkn  jnarked  on  the 
surface  by  a  valley,  it  freqiientiy  happens  that  petroleum  is 


1 


11 

foinifl  along  a  brook  wliicli  runs,  as  a  geologist  would  say, 
'on  tlie  crown  of  an  anticlinal."  Nature  lias,  therefore, 
sometimes  removed  mucli  of  the  overlyino;  rock  nnd  brou^-ht 
the  oii-bcaring  strata  comparatively  near  to  the  surface  at 
those  parts  where  large  reservoirs  of  oil  may  be  looked  for 
with  most  prospect  of  success. 

The  Gasp^  oil-bearing  limestones  are  from  2000  to  2285 
feet  in  thickness,  (See  General  Eei)ort  on  tlic  Geology  of 
Canada,  180:3,  chapter  xvi. ;)  whilst  those  of  Upper  Canada 
are  only  about  600  feet  thick.  They  both  belong  to  the  Ilel- 
derberg  group,  and  tlie  general  character  of  the  organic  re- 
mains which  they  contain  is  the  same  in  both  cases. 

The  geological  conditions  in  regard  to  the  succession  of  the 
rocks  and  the  mode  of  occurrence  of  oil  are  the  same  in 
Gaspe  as  those  said  to  exist  in  the  Pennsylvania  oil  region. 
The  oil  occurs,  not  only  in  the  limestones  of  Gasp(5,  but  also 
in  the  overlying  sandstone,  some  beds  of  which,  on  the 
York  Rivei",  were  found  saturated  with  it.  (See  tlie  above- 
mentioned  Ecport,  top  of  page  789.) 

Tlie  Gaspe  limestones  are  not  only  of  great  thickness,  but 
also  of  considerable  geographical  extent.  The  indications  of 
petroleuTii^  however,  so  far  as  known,  are  confined  to  a  par- 
ticular area  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  peninsula.  After  hav- 
ing examined  these  limestones,  throughout  the  greater  part  of 
their  distribution,  during  the  throe  seasons  spent  in  the  Gaspe 
peninsula,  it  appeared  to  me,  (as  I  mentioned  to  you  some 
thne  ago,)  that  the  centre  of  the  oil  district  lies  on  the  lower 
reach  of  the  York  Eiver,  and  that  it  extends  with  the  strike 
of  the  formations  on  either  side  from  the  neighborhood  of 
Silver  Brook. 

The  limestones  in  this  tract  are  of  a  dark  bluish  gray  color, 
with  layers  and  nodules  of  chert,  (a  character  of  petroleum- 
bearing   rocks   in   general,)  and   so  thoroughly  impregnated 


12 


■II I 


with  oil,  that  when  any  freshly-broken  piece  of  it  is  thrown 
into  the  water,  the  oil  rises  to  the  surface,  forming  an  irides- 
cent scum.     (See  the  above-mentioned  Eei)ort,  page  788.) 

In  the  bank  of  tlie  York  liiver,  a  short  distance  abo>'e  the 
west  line  of  the  township  of  Gaspc  Bay,  south,  solid  pieces 
of  bitumen  are  found  in  the  cavities  of  a  small  trap  dyke  cut- 
ting the  sandstone  which  rests  upon  the  limestone. 

A  short  distance  above  (or  west  of)  this  spot,  but  still  sev- 
eral miles  east  of  the  entrance  of  the  Mississippi  Brook,  the 
outcropping  belt  of  limestone  (forming  the  crown  of  an  anti- 
nal)  crosses,  in  an  ol)liqiie  direction,  to  the  north  side  of  tlie 
York  lliver,  and  afterwards  runs  westward  on  that  side  as  ±ar 
as  the  Mississippi  Brook. 

At  the  place  where  the  river  crosses  this  limestone  belt, 
petroleum  wan  found  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  an  oil- 
spring  has  long  been  known  on  Silver  Brook. 

When  examining  this  part  of  the  district  in  1862,  my  ob- 
ject was  not  to  explore  for  oil,  but  to  investigate  the  geologi- 
cal structure  of  the  country,  and  at  that  time  these  were  the 
only  two  localities  at  which  oil  M'as  actually  known  to  occur 
in  this  tract,  but  I  have  been  informed,  on  good  authority, 
that  several  others  have  since  been  discovered. 

I  had  no  doubt  at  the  time  I  was  in  Gaspc  that  had  I  been 
instructed  to  look  for  petroleum  instead  of  to  make  a  geologi- 
cal survey,  I  should  have  met  with  great  success  in  that  part 
of  the  valley  of  the  York  River  whiclj  lies  hnmediately  to  the 
westward  of  Silver  Brook. 

A  gentleman  from  Pennsylvania,  (interested  in  oil  lands 
there,)  and  whom  I  met  with  at  (Taspd  Basin,  stated  that  in 
his  opinion,  the  prospects  for  oil  w^ere  far  better  in  Gaspc  than 
Pennsylvania..  I  liavc  never  had  an  opportunity  of  compar- 
ing the  Gaspe  oil  region  wdtli  any  in  Pennsylvania,  but  I 


i 


i 


18 


•i 


VI 


4 


f 


have  every  reason  to  believe  tluit  petroleum  exists  in  large 
quantities  in  the  former. 

In  tlie  unsurvejed  tract  lying  along  the  lower  reach  of  the 
York  Itiver,  most  of  the  land  for  about  two  miles  on  either 
side  of  the  river,  is  of  the  best  quality  for  agricultural  pur- 
poses, as  is  proved  by  the  settlements  in  the  adjoining  town- 
ships. Tlie  timber  is  of  good  size,  and  consists  of  white  and 
yellow  l)irch,  majjle,  black  ash,  poplar,  a  little  elm,  etc.,  along 
with  a  large  proportion  of  coniferous  species,  such  as  balsam, 
white  pine,  and  spruce ;  much  of  the  two  last  mentioned 
being  fit  for  spars  and  deals. 

The  tide  runs  up  the  York  Kiver  about  as  far  as  the  mouth 
of  Silver  Brook.  Above  this  point  the  river  is  navigable 
only  for  canoes  and  other  small  craft,  although  it  maintains  a 
width  of  from  one  hundred  to  two  hundred  feet,  as  far  as  I 
ascended  it,  (about  fifty  miles.) 

Tlie  shores  of  Gaspd  Bay  are  thickly  settled  by  a  mixed 
population,  speakhig  both  English  and  French.  Labor  is 
cheap  and  abundant.  The  harbor  of  Gaspt)  Basin  is  second 
to  none  in  the  world  for  security  and  fticility  of  entry. 
Many  vessels  are  owned  by  the  resident  merchants,  and 
since  Gaspe  has  been  made  a  free  port,  a  considerable  im- 
petus has  been  given  to  trade.  The  regular  steamers  run- 
ning between  Quebec  and  the  Lower  Provinces,  call  at  Gasp6 
Basin  in -going  both  ways. 

Some  of  the  settlers  about  the  mouth  of  the  York  River 
live  by  fai-ming  alone,  but  most  of  the  inhabitants  around 
Gaspd  Bay  are  engaged  in  both  farming  and  fishing.  An 
idea  of  the  agricultural  capabilities  of  this  part  of  Canada 
may  be  formed  when  it  is  stated  that  wheat  raised  on  the 
shore  of  the  north-west  arm  of  Gaspd  Bay  obtained  the  second 
prize  at  the  London  Industrial  Exhibition  of  1851. 

1  have  said  nothing  in  regard  to  distances  and  the  relative 


I 


11 


14 


^i 


positions  of  places  in  this  part  of  Gaspe,  because  you  can 
form  a  correct  estimate  of  tliem  from  the  map.  I  might  men- 
tion, liowever,  that  a  wagon  road  is  made  along  tlie  north 
side  of  the  York  Eiver  as  far  as  Silver  Erook,  and  a  good 
road  for  some  miles  fartlier.  I  need  say  little  about  the 
quality  of  the  oil  found  in  this  region,  as  you  may  see  a 
specimen  of  it  from  Silver  Brook  in  the  Geological  JVIuBeum 
in  Montreal.  It  has  less  odor  than  ordinary  samples  of  re- 
fined rock  oil. 

The  great  facilities  for  shipping  petroleum  to  the  European 
markets,  together  with  tlie  undoubtedly  iavorable  indications 
of  its  existence  in  large  quantities  in  this  part  of  Gaspd, 
induce  me  to  believe  that  the  day  is  not  far  distant  when 
this  useful  product  will  cause  this  valuable  but  liitherto 
much  neglected  section  of  the  country,  to  be  as  extensively 
knowTi  for  its  rock  oil  as  either  Oil  Creek  or  Enniskillen. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

Robert  Bell, 
Prof,  of  Cliem.  and  Natural  History, 
Queen's  University. 


( 


REP  OET 

OX  THE  EOOK  OIL  EEGIOI^  OF  GASPt, 

CANADA  EAST. 


<  m  « — >-•»-»- 


'' 


53  St.  Fkanqois  Xavier  St.,  Montreal, 

14tli  April,  18r)5. 
Gentlemen  :   I   have  inucli   pleasure  in  complying   with 
your  request  to  furnish  you  with  such  information  as  I.  pos- 
sess, with  regard  to  the  rock  oil  region  of  Gaspe  at  the  east- 
ern extremity  of  Canada. 

I  must  premise,  however,  that  as  its  capabilities  in  thia 
respect  have  been  but  little  developed  by  actual  working,  and 
as  my  only  visit  to  tho  locality  has  been  during  the  present 
winter,  when  the  ground  was  covered  with  a  great  depth 
of  snow,  my  obsen^ations  must  necessarily  be  of  a  less  precise 
and  definite  character  than  I  could  liave  wished.  In  illustra- 
tion of  my  remarks,  I  beg  to  refer  to  the  accompanying  map, 
on  which  are  noted  such  of  the  more  prominent  geological 
and  topographical  features  of  the  district  as  seem  to  have  any 
relation  to  tlie  object  in  which  you  are  more  immediately  in- 
terested. 

The  existence  of  mineral  oil  springs  in  this  district,  and 
their  probable  economic  importance,  were  pointed  out  bv  Sir 
William  Logan,  the  Provincial  Geologist,  as  early  as  the  year 


16 


1844,  long  before  the  value  of  the  material,  now  so  highly 
,  ai)preeiatecl,  began  to  be  recognized.  Subsequent  investiga- 
tions, conduoted  under  his  superintendence,  have  fully  devel- 
oped the  geological  structure  of  the  district,  and  several  other 
oil-springs,  and  surface  indications  of  petroleum  incidentally 
discovered,  in  the  course  of  these  explorations,  have  from 
time  to  time  been  rep(>rted  by  iiim. 

With  respect  to  the  geological  condition  of  this  region,  it  is 
quite  unnecessary  that  I  should  enter  iiito  any  details,  since 
its  structure  has  been  very  fully  described  in  Sir  Wm.  Logan's 
published  report  for  18G3,  and  also  (with  more  special  refer- 
ence to  the  present  object)  by  Professor  Bell,  of  Kingston, 
whose  report,  I  understand,  will  accompany  the  present. 

Upon  the  map  are  also  indicated  the  lines  of  the  anticlinal 
axes,  or  centres,  of  the  convex  flexures  of  the  strata ;  along 
.  which,  according  to  all  experience  in  other  oil-producing  re- 
gions, tlie  greatest  accumulation  of  the  oil  is  to  be  found. 
This  theory,  so  important  as  a  guide  to  the  practical  oil-borer, 
was  lirst  propounded  and  elucidated  by  Dr.  T.  S.  Hunt,  of 
the  Canadian  Geological  Commission,  and  has  received  from 
my  own  observations  a  remarkable  cojifirmation,  from  the 
fact  tliat  in  Gaspd,  with  very  few  exceptions,  all  the  ascer- 
tained and  reported  discoveries  of  petroleum,  extending  over 
a  length  of  twenty  miles,  and  npon  the  same  number  of 
locations,  widely  apart,  occur  n])on  or  very  close  to  the  lines 
referred  to.  * 

The  oil-producing  I'ock  of  Gaspd  is  a  limestone  tbrination 
of  De\'onian  age.  It  bears  the  same  lithological  character, 
and  is  copiously  cliarged  witli  the  same  description  of  oi'ganie 
remains  as  that  of  the  Enniskillen  oil  region,  but  is  three  or 
four  times  the  thickness  of  the  latter.  It  is  overlaid  by  a 
sandstone,  which,  however,  in  some  ])laces  has  been  removed 
by  denudation,  exposing  the  oil-bearing  rock  at  surftice. 


17 


( 


Witli  regard  to  its  topographical  features,  the  general  char- 
acter of  tlio  country  is  rugged  and  mountainous,  intersected 
by  great  arms  of  the  sea,  and  by  valleys  parallel  to  tlie  moun- 
tain ranges,  although  not  always  to  the  strike  of  tlie  rock. 
IS^umerous  transverse  valleys  also  occur,  intersecfing  the 
'mountain  ranges,  and  afford  ample  scope  for  favorab]e%er- 
ations  in  oil-])oring  at  many  points  where  the  overlying  sand- 
stone rock  will  probably  be  of  a  moderate  thickness.  Such 
i3  also  the  character  of  the  oil-bearing  region  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

It  has  been  remarked,  that  in  Pennsylvania,  the  greatest 
sui-plies  of  petroleum  have  been  obtained  from  strata  which 
bear  evidence  of  the  greatest  amount  of  dislocation.  In  this 
respect  the  Gaspd  oil  region  will  compare  most  favorably 
with  that  of  Enniskillen,  where,  although  the  rocks  are  of 
the  same  geological  age,  they  do  not  appear  to  have  been  sub- 
jected to  the  same  disturbing  forces;  and  from  being  buried 
under  such  a  great  depth  of  clay  and  soil,  the  most  iavorable 
localities  are  so  much  more  difficult  to  trace. 

The  parties  acting  here  on  behalf  of  your  Company,  liaving 
obtained  the  privilege  of  first  choice  of  the  Western  Division 
of  the  Gaspe  oil  region,  have  selected  and  secured  six  blocks 
of  land  of  about  5000  acres  each,  which  they  have  acfj^uired 
from  the  government  in  fee  simple.     These  blocks  are  indi- 
cated on  the  map  by  the  red  tint,  and  ha\'e  been,  in  my 
opinion,  most  judiciously  selected,  as  combining  all  the  most 
favorable   qualities  for    successful    o]>erations   in   oil-l)oring. 
They  are  all  undoubtedly  underlaid  by  the  oil-bearing  rock,  the 
lines  of  anticlinal  axes  pass  tlirough  all  of  them,  and  the 
overlying  sandstone  will  in  all  be  found  to  be  of  a  moderate 
thickness.     Tliey  are  also  most  favorably  situated  in  regard 
to  streams  and  valleys.     On  one  of  them,  Xo.  42,  an  oil- 
spring  exists,  while  upon  another  lot,  Ko.  20,  I  anticipate 


18 

important  discoveries  Iroin  the  fact  that  it  is  in  imme- 
diate proximity  to  the  outcrop  of  a  different  geological 
formation— a  condition  generally  found  most  favorable  to  the 
concentration  of  valuable  mineral  deposits. 

Tije  i»etrolenm  of  this  region  is  of  a  remarkably  pure  and 
excellent  quality.  It  is  of  a  pale  greenish-brown  color,  and 
even  in  tho  crude  state,  the  odor  is  less  offensive  than  much 
.  of  the  refined  oil  of  Ennisldllen.  Specimens  of  the  Gaspd  oil 
which  have  been  sent  to  Kew-York  for  examination,  have 
been  pronounced  to  be  seven  per  cent  better  than  any  found 
elsewhere  in  Americni. 

Previous  to  my  visit  to  this  oil-bearing  region,  having  been 
much  occupied  in  investigating  that  of  Enniskilleji.  I  had 
carefully  studied  its  nature  and  conditions,  and  ascertained 
all  the  recorded  facts  in  regard  to  it.  My  recent  visit  has 
amply  confirmed  and  strengthened  the  favorable  impressions 
I  have  thus  been  led  to  form,  and  I  entertain  a  strong  convic- 
tion, tliat  it  is  destined  to  prove  a  great  oil-producing  country, 
and  will  yield  a  rich  reward  to  those  capitalists  who  will  un- 
dertake its  (bvolopment  on  an  adequate  scale. 

As  regards  fticilities  foF  working,  shipment,  etc.^  they  are 
unsurpassed  by  any  oil-producing  region  in  the  world,  the 
magnificent  harbor  of  Gaspe  Bay,  with  its  navigable  arras 
and  rivers,  being  in  the  immediate  proximity,  and  enjoying 
the  advantage  of  being  a  free  port.  The  climate  is  very 
favorable,  being  neither  so  hot  in  sunnner  nor  so  cold  in 
winter  as  in  most  parts  of  the  continent ;  timber,  fodder,  and 
jvro visions  of  all  kinds  abundant  and  labor  cheap. 

Belit^ve  me  to  be.  gentlemen,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

Charles  Roiib, 
Mining  Engineer. 


► 


f 


I 


19 

The  foregoihg  reports  enter  so  fully  aiul  minutely 
into  the  subject,  and  contain  such  convincing  pi-ools  of 
the  existence  of  petroleum  in  large  quantities,  and  of 
the  facility  of  mining  and  sending  it  to  market,  that 
but  little  i-emains  to  be  added. 

All  the  oil-producing  territories,  so  far  known  and 
developed,  are  situated  in  remote  inland  localities, 
whence  the  oil  has  to  be  transported  hundreds  of 
miles  to  reach  a  seaport,  the  cost  of  transportation 
l)eiug  in  many  cases  equal  to  the  whole  cost  of  the 
article  at  the  wells.  In  Gasp6  Basin  sea-going  craft 
can  safely  ride  at  anchor,  within  a  few  miles  from  this 
tract,  and  may  receive  their  cargoes  from  flat-boats, 
floating  the  oil-barrels  down  the  York  Kiver  at  a  mere- 
ly nominal  expense.  Hence  the  long  railway  trans- 
portation to  a  distant  seaport  is  entirely  saved,  and  oil 
may  be  sold  at  the  Gasp^  wells  at  almost  the  price  it 
sells  in  New- York,  say  from  $8  to  $9  in  gold  per  bar- 
rel, or,  which  amounts  to  the  same,  it  may  be  consigned 
to  foreign  markets  and  sold  at  an  equivalent  of  ISiew- 
York  prices ;  and  as  the  cost  of  transportation  must 
always  remain  a  heavy  burden  on  an  article  of  so 
much  bulk  and  weight  in  comparison  with  its  value,  it 
is  obvious  that  wells  producing  oil  in  a  region  geof^'a- 
phically  so  well  situated  as  Gaspe,  will  always  com- 
mand  a  monopoly  in  foreign  markets. 

Apart  li'om  this  great  advantage,  there  are  other 
minor  differences  to  be  considered.  Gaspe  Bay  is  a 
free  port,  free  from  duties  on  import  and  export,  and 
free  from  all  taxes  on  oi^     Whatever  is  wanted  in  the 


20 


shape  of  macliinery  or  Bupplies,  may  be  introduced 
free  from  all  customs  charges.  The  labor  available  on 
the  spot  is  cheap.  The  tract  is  covered  with  timber, 
valuable  for  constructions,  for  barrels,  and  for  fuel. 
Barrels  may  be  made  there  at  a  cost  not  exceeding 
$1.50,  instead  of  the  $3.25  paid  elsewhere,  and  may 
be -yet  cheaper,  if  machinery  were  employed  for  their 
manufixcture.  All  the  expenses  of  running  machinery 
and  working  oil-wells  will  therefore  be  considerably 
less  than  in  other  oil-producing  localities. 

The  minimum  profit,  which  a  barrel  of  oil  will  net 
to  a  company,  deducting  cost  of  barrel  and  working  ex- 
penses, may  safely  be  put  down  at  $5  in  gold,  which 
being  based  on  the  price  in  foreign  markets,  will  not 
be  subject  to  any  material  fluctuations. 

Scientific  and  practical  men  agree  that  the  Gaspe  oil 
region  promises  fully  to  equal  Enniskillen  or  the  Oil 
Creek  region  in  productiveness,  and  there  is  therefore 
no  reason  why  large  wells,  flowing  hundreds  and  thou- 
sands of  barrels,  may  7iot  be  obtained  in  one  locality 
as  well  as  in  the  others,  the  geological  indications 
being  the  same  in  the  Gaspe  district,  or  rather  more 
favorable.  To  avoid  the  charge  of  exaggeration,  how- 
ever, let  it  be  assmned,  that  small  wells  only,  say  of 
twenty  barrels,  will  be  obtained  at  Gaspe  —  these 
being  almost  a  certainty  in  oil-bearing  regions.  Tak- 
ing two  hundred  working  days,  and  $5,  or  even  $4 
gold  per  barrel,  would  leave  a  net  income  of  $16,000 
f^  $20,000  in  aold  per  annum  from  a  sinqle  twentv  har- 
rel  well.    Many  such  wells  will  not  be  necessary  to 


21 


' 


secure  a  hantlsome  and  j)ennanent  revenue  on  the  cap- 
ital invested.  This  calculation  will  certainly  not  be 
regarded  as  over-estimating  the  production ;  on  the  con- 
trary, it  rests  upon  a  l)asis  which  can  not  be  contra- 
verted,  and  in  tliis  r<}spect  is  widely  different  from  the 
vague  estimates  which  appear  in  connection  with  not  a 
few  of  the  projects  which  are  nowadays  brought  be- 
fore the  public. 

It  is  true,  the  tract  is  yet  in  its  natural  state ;  it  has 
many  natural  oil-springs,  but  no  wells  have  been  bored 
that  reach  the  oil-bearing  limestone  rock.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  is  not  less  tnie,  that  if  a  toell  liad  heen 
mdih  yielding  only  a  moderate  amount  of  oil,  or  if  a 
producing  well  were  obtained  on  adjacent  properties, 
wliicli  are  soon  to  be  tested,  the  tract  now  offered 
could  not  be  purchased  foi*  millions.  In  its  present 
shape,  it  is  presented  as  the  foundation  of  a  company, 
on  terms  liberal  enough  to  oj)en  an  excellent  chance  to 
investors. 


PROSPECTUS 


or    TlIK 


QA-SPii:    BA^Y    COMI>A]SrY, 


It  ia  proposed  to  form  a  Company  in  this  City  for 
the  purpose  of  purchasing  and  developing  the  tract 
laid   down   on    the    accompanying   map,   situated  in 
Gasp6  District,  L.  C,  and  liaving  an  area  of  about 
30,000  acres  of  oil  lands.    The   Company  to  have  a 
stock  capital  of  $1,250,000  nominal  value,  divided  into 
shares  of  $10  each,  of  which  1>5  per  cent,  or  31,250 
shares,  go  to  the  owner  of  the  lands.     Subscriptions 
to  the  capital  stock  to  be  taken  in  blocks  of  300 
shai'es,  representing  a  nominal  value  of  $3000,  which 
are  to  be  issued  to  first  subscribers  at  the  rate  of 
$1000  in  currency  fi^r  each  block,  or  $3.33^  cash  for 
each   share  of  $10,  nominal  par.     The   stock  to  b^ 
issued  in  payment  of  property,  on  condition  that  the 
owner  of  the  property  shall  furnish  to  the  Company 
a  working  capital  of  ^^^,000  cash.     The  stock  sub- 
scribed for  at  the  abo/i   riiio  to  be  full  paid  stock,  not 
liable  to  further  calli.     After  three  quarters  of  the 
stock  are  subscribed  for,  a  meeting  of  subscribers  to 


28 


be  calUnl  to    organize    tlie    Company   and   to    fleet 

It  iH  intended  to  sink  u  iW  wells  only  for  the  pnr- 
pose  of  testing  tli(;  l;inds.  A  working  ca|)itul  of 
$50,000  is  considered  amply  snffieient  to  carry  out 
tliis  object.  AfttT  one  or  more  producing  wells  sliall 
be  obtained,  the  (Jonii)any  will  determine  subsetpient 
operations.  It  may  rt»solve  itself  into  a  larger  Com- 
pany,  with  a  strong  working  caj)ital,  to  develop  its 
lands  on  a  compreliensive  scale,  or  it  may  sell  or  lease 
its  lands,  as  the  shareholders  may  consider  most  ad- 
vantageous to  their  interests.  As  the  lands  comprise 
an  area  of  about  forty-seven  scjuare  miles,  and  are  too 
extensive  to  be  properly  developed  by  one  concern, 
the  Company  will  have  ample  room  for  the  oi'ganiza- 
tion  of  t»tlier  oil  companies. 

Tlie  result  ap])ears  not  to  be  doubtful,  and  if  sub- 
scribers will  compare  the  present  enterj)rise  with 
others  that  are  daily  offered,  they  ^vill  see  that  few 
of  them  present  the  solid  guarantees  and  assurance 
of  profit  which  are  claimed  for  the  Gaspe  Bay  Com- 
pany. V 

The  lands  are  warranted  fi-ee  from  incumbrances, 
and  the  j)roduction  free  from  taxation.  The  title  to 
the  lands  is  unexceptionable,  and  ^\'ill  be  approved  by 
a  New-York  la^^^yer,  before  the  property  be  paid  for. 


Subscription  List  open  at  the  Office  of  Hackes  & 
GuTMANi^,  71  Broadway,  (Basement.) 


